No finger-pointing at Punt Rd: Wallace
richmondfc.com.au
By Catherine Murphy
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
RICHMOND coach Terry Wallace insists that despite the club’s four game losing streak, there haven’t been recriminations at Punt Rd.
“I haven’t seen anything like finger-pointing, whether that be coach to player or player to player at all,” Wallace says.
“Furthermore I can say that from the club’s point of view as well. We all want results and we want them in a hurry.”
Wallace says that the post-match atmosphere in the rooms has also been calm in spite of disappointing results.
“I think if I walk back into the change rooms after each loss and basically get to the stage where I’m losing control of my emotions and my understanding of where we’re trying to head, well I think it’s very hard for anybody else to be controlling where they’re at,” Wallace says.
“Likewise I think the leadership group’s got to be the same as well. If they’re in control of the playing group and understanding of what we’re trying to achieve and where we’re trying to go, I think that that’s fair as well.”
Wallace believes that although the Tigers are still winless in season 2007, the team is progressing.
“We’ve a lot of senior players out of our club for one reason or another and we’ve replaced them with younger boys,” Wallace says.
“We actually think that we’re going forward because we’re doing that, while other people think we’re going backwards. It’s disappointing and frustrating from the point of view that we know where we’re going with our group but not everyone can see that.
“So far we’ve gone out and played an attacking brand of footy as we are developing boys for the future. We want them to play the way that we want them to be playing for a 10-year career.”
This week’s assignment is the Tiger’s toughest assignment yet, facing West Coast at the MCG on Saturday.
“We’re playing against the reigning premiers this weekend which is always a tough challenge. It’s something we really look forward to taking on,” Wallace says.
“West Coast are the bench mark at the moment … when you’re in this competition you’ve got to challenge yourself, whether it be our young boys who want to see how they’ll go against the very best in the competition - and the senior players are the same. That’s what we’re all aspiring to be, where they are at the minute. I don’t think we should shy away from those sorts of things.”
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/6301/Default.aspx?newsId=41882
